What is a LIT?
Surrey’s core LIT
What do Stakeholder groups do?
What is the NSF?
Other key drivers in mental health
What is a LIT?
In September 1999 the Government published the National Service Framework (NSF) for Mental Health.
In consultation with people who use mental health services and those who provide them, the Framework set out national standards (see What is the NSF? below) for adult mental health services to achieve. The standards outlined how services should be developed, delivered and performance measured.
Local Implementation Teams (LITs) were established across the country to take on the responsibility for managing the implementation of the NSF standards and setting a programme of improvement, change and development where required.
Surrey’s core LIT
The Surrey LIT has a membership of people from the primary care trusts (PCTs), the local mental health NHS trust, social services, voluntary organisations, patients/service users and carers.
It is responsible for ensuring equitable services are delivered, co-ordinated and developed in line with the NSF and other national improvement initiatives such as the Lord Darzi NHS review.
The purpose of the group is to review and agree strategic and local priorities for Surrey’s mental health services and to provide performance information and progress around the NSF targets to the Government.
The key decisions made by the LIT are informed and influenced by the work of the Stakeholder Groups.
What do Stakeholder groups do?
The stakeholder groups, mid and east Surrey, Surrey Heath, North Surrey, Guildford and Waverley, have a mixed membership of service users, carers and providers. They combine their local knowledge to gather and share information on mental health services in their area. They report on their work to the main LIT.
It is the Stakeholder Groups that can influence developments by highlighting gaps in services and what is important to patients/service users and carers.
What is the NSF?
The NSF – National Service Framework – is a guideline on raising the quality and reducing inequalities in mental health services. There are seven standards in five areas:
- Standard 1 is for mental health promotion and anti-stigma
- Standards 2/3 relate to primary care and access to services for all
- Standards 4/5 require effective services for people with severe mental illness
- Standard 6 relates to carers of people with mental ill health
- Standard 7 is around action for reducing suicides
(to view the full document visit www.dh.gov.uk and go to publications)
Other key drivers in mental health:
Along with the NSF there are other national and local guidelines that have a significant impact on the way mental health services are developed and delivered.
National drivers include the NHS review by Lord Darzi*. In his interim report of October ’07 he set out his vision for a ‘World Class NHS’ that is fair, personalised, effective, safe and locally accountable. The second stage of the review sets out how that vision can be delivered. One of the major thrusts is for integrative care schemes to be piloted where outcomes are commissioned rather than services. We will bring you more news on the second stage review in the next issue of Interface.
Driving change and development in Surrey are two reports on mental health commissioning by Professor Keith Wilson, former head of NSF (mental health and older people’s) Implementation at the department of health (DH). They are Mental Health for Younger Adults (16-64) Strategic Review and the Older People’s Strategic Reviews.
* visit www.ournhs.nhs.uk for more information on Lord Darzi’s report.
For more information visit Surrey PCT’s website: www.surreyhealth.nhs.uk
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